


a challenger approaches

by legobricked



Series: medieval ladybug [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:02:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5534024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/legobricked/pseuds/legobricked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was time for one of the annual tournaments his father held. They were the highlight of his year when Prince Adrien was small, but now he found the gaudy displays of power and wealth by the nobles to be disgusting and shameless. He had grown less and less fond of the festivities as the years went by, just as his relationship with his father, the king, had grown more and more strained as the years passed.</p><p>However, something changed this year, and Prince Adrien was beside himself with excitement and burning, burning curiosity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

**Author's Note:**

> a continuation of (my take on) tumblr user sorarts' medieval ladybug au

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's point of view

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i can’t even call this a drabble anymore. this is 2k words long and im so mad at myself.
> 
> P.S. i wrote this fic before realizing i’d rather have chat noir and ladybug meet first THEN adrien and ladybug meeting but it’s too late to go back on that. so, my order for their first meetings (as in, what order did their identities meet each other) is: ladrien, ladynoir, marichat, and finally adrienette. alya also knows marinette is ladybug, and this is when marinette first makes her public appearance as ladybug. ladybug’s armor is black with red accents. i made a few edits but feel free to point any that i've missed so i can correct them! 
> 
> cross-posted from http://howweperceivethings.tumblr.com/post/135555506491

In all his years of watching tournaments, Adrien had never seen a swordsman move as swift as the knight clad in black and red.

The knight, going by the simple name “Ladybug,” was a brand new contestant to the annual tournaments. They were a mysterious character, no doubt, and more mysteries unfolded as the knight smashed through the ranks.

Not only was this Ladybug a new contestant, he (or she?) presumably held no titles of their own. Their armor bore no crests or markers denoting a lineage and the knight only signed up for the single combat where most knights went for at least this event and the jousting event. Ladybug had only a single attendant with them, a handsome girl with long wavy hair, and no squire to speak of. Though commoners were not turned away, very few of them dared compete against experienced knights and commanders, many of whom seemed to have been born on horseback and with a sword in hand (and born with the money to afford all the training needed to compete decently).

The most mysterious part about Ladybug, however, was not the seeming lack of prestige or wealth. The strangest thing about this newcomer was how they never removed their visor whenever he saw them. Ladybug had their visor latched on at all times, even after a long and arduous fight, which they always came out as the winner. Ladybug kept their face obscured in solemn victory as the crowd and he, himself, cheered for their favorite.

This, of course, did nothing to assuage Adrien’s burning curiosity to find out who this figure was. What kind of person would enter such a public event, only to hide their face? Adrien would have guessed it was a noble who wanted to upstage the veterans, but nothing about the knight’s posture suggested mischief or boastful pride. Ladybug was always composed and moved with decisive steps. In fact, it was with this calm determination that they were able to snag their victories with relative ease.

The last fight Ladybug won was especially exhilarating; the prince found himself leaning well over the railing, hands tightly gripping the wood in anticipation. Watching Ladybug fight was like watching a performance. They met their opponent’s move at every turn and hardly ever missed a beat. Adrien yelled in protest when Ladybug’s opponent landed a blow on Ladybug’s shield that nearly felled them, briefly forgetting the manners appropriate for his station. The blow was rather close to the head and Adrien saw from his vantage point that the visor was knocked slightly off. However, the crowd favorite was able to recover and knocked their opponent off his feet. His sword flew from his hand, and Ladybug was swiftly declared the winner yet again.

Adrien jumped to his feet and whooped along with the crowd. A servant cleared her throat to remind Adrien that he needed to address the audience, as well as to mind his manners, which he did promptly. He congratulated all of the participants of the day’s tournament, giving special mention to the tournament’s victor, and told the crowd that the awards ceremony would begin in an hour’s time, to allow their knights a moment’s rest.

The crowd dispersed from their seats and Adrien, reluctantly, mingled with his esteemed guests that decided to watch the tournament with him. The prince was eager to meet Ladybug before the official awards ceremony, to personally congratulate them, but found himself stuck with the princess visiting from a neighboring kingdom. She was rather fond of him, but it was less than desirable how she clung to his arm until it was time for the awards ceremony. At the horn, Adrien slipped with all the grace deserving of his rank and politely excused himself from his stifling private audience.

When he returned to his seat in the stands, the princess not trailing too far behind, Adrien’s heart fell a bit when he saw the black and red armor standing in front of the group of today’s contestants. Ladybug was the only one who remained the same, all the other contestants had changed out of their armor into their formal robes. The second place contestant was nowhere to be found, but Adrien began the ceremony anyways.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to watch our honorable participants display their skills and strength for our benefit. This tournament has been an exciting one, more so than in past years, and I would like to thank our newest entry for that. It is with great honor and pleasure that I, Prince Adrien of the Agreste kingdom, dub Ladybug the Knight as the victor of the single combat tournament!”

Adrien raised an arm with flourish as the crowds cheered in glee. Then, he bowed to Ladybug, who stood directly below him from his seat in the stands. Yet, Ladybug did not bow back. Adrien didn’t even see their helmet dip. Clearing his throat and hiding the crease forming in his brow, Adrien continued, “As with all tourneys, not only does the victor receive the tourney prize money, but they will also have one request of theirs granted if it is within my, or my father, the king’s, power to do so.”

Finally, Adrien turned his head to Ladybug. Though he couldn’t be sure if they were looking back at him, the stillness of their body and the angle of the knight’s helmet suggested Adrien had the knight’s full attention.

“What is it that our victor, Ladybug, desires from the Agreste family?”

The crowd’s murmuring continued as the knight contemplated their request. Adrien tried his best to peer through the slits of the black visors to see who stood underneath the well-worn steel, until the clatter of metal broke him from his thoughts. A gasp, then silence filled the stadium as Adrien found a sword pointing up along his line of sight. Their shield discarded on the dirt and their sword pointed towards the prince, Ladybug finally spoke for the first time this entire tournament.

“I challenge Prince Adrien of the Agreste kingdom to a duel!” though husky from the fighting, the voice was still distinctively feminine. Adrien’s brows furrowed again as Ladybug continued their demand.

“If I win the match, then you, Prince Adrien, must agree to donate that money–-nay, you must personally give that money to the orphanage of St. Marie,” Ladybug declared. Adrien was two parts impressed. The knight certainly seemed capable for another duel and he had never seen anyone, noble or commoner, challenge him, the prince, so publicly.

He should have been offended, too. No one could address the royal prince like so, but Adrien couldn’t find it in himself to hold it against the mysterious figure. Instead, he grinned excitedly and demanded his sword. The moment it was in his hands, Adrien put one foot over the railing and leapt down on the dirt, right in front of Ladybug, to the surprise of the audience. The knight, however, didn’t even flinch as Adrien drew himself up to his full height. They stood only a few feet apart and Adrien thought she looked immaculate in her armor and poise. Ladybug lowered her sword, letting it hang in the space between them.

“I accept your challenge but I have my own conditions. If I win,” Adrien announced loud enough for the stunned crowd to hear, “then you must remove your helmet and show your face to all of the spectators here. You will tell your fans here who it is they should applaud for being as bold as you have been today.” A smirk was on his lips before Adrien even realized how much he was enjoying this. The prince, half-expecting the knight to back down from the challenge, heard a low chuckle from Ladybug.

A quick step and the sound of metal slicing the air rang out. Adrien had barely reacted in time, partially unsheathing his sword to block Ladybug’s, which had stopped right in front of his face.

“I accept your conditions,” the knight shouted, “now draw your sword and fight!”

Ladybug pulled her sword back and took another swing at Adrien, who could only jump to the side and dodge. He rolled onto a knee, grinning wildly again. Unsheathing his sword, Adrien threw his scabbard to the side and leapt to his feet. Soon enough, Ladybug swung their sword again but this time Adrien was able to meet it with his own sword. Ladybug kept applying pressure against their crossed swords until neither could push the other any further. Adrien tried to peer into the visor, now only some odd feet in front of him, but nearly lost his footing as Ladybug suddenly shifted her weight to strike again. They parried back and forth where every strike one of them made, their opponent met with equal force and precision. Adrien could feel his blood pump as they fought and they fell into a rhythm. The rush of adrenaline excited Adrien like nothing his princely life could ever be.

But, though his opponent was a fearsome fighter, an entire day of fighting had worn them down considerably. After a swift duck, Adrien shot up and made an uppercut at Ladybug, landing a solid blow that nicked her visor off one of its hinges. Adrien withdrew immediately as Ladybug staggered back, almost shocked that he connected. She fell down on her knee as she planted her sword in the ground to support her, the visor hanging crookedly on her helmet.

With the sudden blow and pause in the battle, Adrien found himself tiring like Ladybug. Literally jumping into a fight was not one of his best ideas, the prince felt his stiff muscles cramping and he almost fell over thanks to his overtaxed legs. Determined to win this battle and find out the identity of the mysterious knight, Adrien pushed himself up to meet his challenger.

Then, the knight before him raised her hand and worked at the crooked visor. Adrien watched with bated breath and, with a clatter, Ladybug took her visor completely off its battered hooks. Adrien wasn’t sure if he could see hair strands falling out of the uncovered hole, but his mind went blank when he finally saw her eyes for the first time.

She had the bluest eyes Adrien had ever seen–bluer than his father’s grayed eyes, than the princess who had been following him the entire day. They were just as blue as–-

_Thud, swish!_

\--As the sky Adrien found himself staring at from the ground.

It took awhile for Adrien to register what had happened. His head was swimming as the world spun before him, Background noise resembling a crowd collectively gasping clouded his head even further. He blinked slowly as his gaze wandered down to be greeted with a blade a few inches from his neck. Adrien followed the blade up to its handle, to the hand and arm, and finally to the blue eyes that had caught him off guard. They were clear and bright and he could feel the victory emanating from them.

Adrien had lost an embarrassing defeat, but he couldn’t have been more ecstatic about it.

He smiled at his opponent about to congratulate her until she drew her sword aside and collapsed on the ground.  Before he could clear his head and react, the girl who had been attending Ladybug rushed forward and turned the knight over. She placed Ladybug in her lap, wanting to take off her knight’s helmet but holding back anyways. Head finally cleared, Adrien scrambled forward and called for some water to give to Ladybug, who had fainted from exhaustion. A servant ran up with a pitcher and Adrien helped the servant girl pour water for Ladybug. The knight took the water slowly. And just as Adrien was working on taking off the helmet for her to breathe, Ladybug’s hand shot up and gripped his wrist to stop him. Her eyes slowly opened to meet his.

“You swore,” she whispered defiantly. The grip on his wrist was tight despite her exhaustion and Adrien felt himself letting go of the helmet despite himself.

Ladybug whispered to the girl, Alya was her name, to help her up and take her to their tent. Adrien reluctantly got up as Alya sheathed Ladybug’s sword to let them leave. Before they walked off, however, Ladybug turned her head aside towards Adrien. Her tired eyes gazed at him from the side and her eyes crinkled, perhaps in a smile. With a lazy finger pointing vaguely in his direction, Ladybug said, “Keep your promise.”

Adrien’s gaze lingered on the black armor as his guests had finally left their seats to check on him. The knight and the girl receded from his vision as a crowd flanked him to see if he was alright. Adrien paid them no mind. His eyes lingered at the spot where the two had disappeared from his line of sight.

Ladybug the Knight, in the black and red armor and the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. He committed her name to memory, feeling that he would see her again very soon.


	2. pride, or lack thereof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was going to be Ladybug's first public appearance and Marinette felt a whirlwind of emotions. Excitement, fear, anxiety, a bit of queasiness too. But she was determined to win the tournament and face the prince himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug’s armor isn’t completely European in style. Tumblr user sorarts mentioned that they had Marinette’s Chinese father teach her how to fight. While I don’t know much about Chinese sword fighting or martial arts (or sword fighting in general), the least I could do to nod to her heritage was have Ladybug’s armor contain Chinese armor, too. Here is a general idea of what it looks like: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CXSckd3UMAIQ2eu.jpg:large

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alya asked. She rubbed her neck nervously as passerby’s stared at her standing in front of the single combat sign in station. When her friend didn’t respond from within the tent, Alya called out to her, “Marinette?”

“Well, bad idea or not, I just signed Ladybug up for the tournament,” Marinette finally emerged from the dark tent. She grinned at her friend who first stared at her in disbelief then sighed in defeat.

“Of course you did,” Alya muttered. “But they didn’t give you any weird looks?”

Marinette held up an empty pouch for Alya to see. “They gave me weird looks alright, especially when I had no sigil to present for Ladybug, but they were obedient enough when I handed over the entry fee.”

Technically, there wasn’t supposed to be an entry fee. The tournament was open to everyone, nobles and commoners alike, but practice always strayed from lawmaking. The tournaments were quite popular and spots were filled up fast, even if the contestants were not the best choices for a good show. To deter less than stellar combatants, the tourney runners instilled a… guarantee that the entry would promise their best fight for the audience. This guarantee, of course, came in the form of an entry fee and had been in place for many years now. It wasn’t always as ludicrously high as it was now but, well, supply and demand. There were too many contestants and not enough positions so the fee hiked up. They would have added more spots in the tournament, which they did in some years, but now adding any more spots would make the tournament too long. So, the fee rose in price until it finally remained stable ever since Marinette first attended a tournament. It took Marinette months to save up commission money to get enough to enter the tournament, so there was no way she would back down on it now.

“Well, since there’s no going back,” Alya said, “why don’t we head to Ladybug’s tent? They gave you her lot number, right?”

“Yeah, it’s lot 15,” Marinette replied. “Let’s make sure Ladybug gets into her armor without a hitch!” Marinette picked up the bags lying at Alya’s feet and walked off, her friend following behind with two more bags.

Once the two girls found their empty lot, they immediately began setting up a small tent. Again, strangers stared as the two put up their pathetically small and plain tent amidst a sea of large, colorful, and extravagant tent houses surrounding them. The ruder strangers snickered or sneered quietly, but Marinette and Alya were too occupied to give them a single glance.

With their tent set up, Marinette made a show to fetch Ladybug, clearly telling Alya that she also had other errands to run and would not be seen until after the tournament. Alya bid Marinette goodbye as her friend reached for a smaller bag inside one of the bags they carried. And Marinette dashed off into the fair.

Alya had warned her to be extra careful, so Marinette headed to several shops before “fetching” Ladybug.

“Don’t wander around too much,” Alya advised before the two made it to the fair, “but don’t go straight into the forest either. Loiter around some tents for a bit, maybe buy a few items, and then head off in the general direction of the training grounds. When you find a safe and quiet place, change then head straight back.”

What would Marinette do without her clever friend? Though she was dubious about anyone following her, they both agreed that protecting Ladybug’s identity was above any minor inconvenience. After all, this _was_ going to be Ladybug’s first public appearance and Marinette was determined to make her mark today.

After visiting a few booths, Marinette finally headed for the forest to the training grounds. She went off the road by a few yards and got to changing. She donned on some pants that she carried in her sack and then removed her dress. Marinette unrolled the bishop sleeves on the shirt she wore underneath, tying them at the wrist. Folding her dress neatly and placing inside her sack, Marinette took out her gloves, a pair of boots, a bandana, and a mask. The mask she put on was red with black spots; it was her own creation. After discussing with Alya how Ladybug would present herself outside her armor, Marinette stitched the mask as a handy disguise. Next, she undid her pigtails to put her hair up in a bun, which she hid underneath the red bandana. The shoes Marinette changed into were to give her some extra height, presumably enough to distinguish Marinette and Ladybug apart. Finally, Marinette donned her gloves and, making sure to leave no trace of her behind, Ladybug set off for her tent to her attendant.

When Ladybug finally reached her lot, she found Alya talking with some strangers. Well, talking was a bit generous. She could see that the strangers were harassing Alya. There were two large men, probably bodyguards, and a smaller, but still tall man in fine clothing leaning uncomfortably close to Alya. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ladybug strode forward and cut in between Alya and the man, staring at him defiantly.

“Is there something you need, _sir_?” Ladybug almost growled.

The man scoffed, dusting himself off, “Just wanted to see who the poor fellow was that got lot 15 with the shabby tent.” He glanced at their small tent and laughed, “I was just offering the lady here to come over to my tent instead. Someone this pretty shouldn’t be hanging about such an ugly place.”

Ladybug tilted her head and squinted to get a better look at the man. “You’re Sir Lance, aren’t you? I’ve heard about you, they say you can fetch more ladies than strikes you can land on an opponent. I wonder how true the rumors are.”

“You best watch yourself, bug,” Sir Lance glowered. “I’d tell you to wait until I get to you in the tournament, but I’m not sure if you’d last long enough for that to happen. Don’t get cocky, novice.”

“I could say the same for you,” Ladybug smirked, “but we’ll just have to hope for the best then.”

After a silence filled with glares, the man signaled to his two guards and sauntered off back to his tent. Ladybug immediately turned to Alya to make sure she was okay. But Alya just kept smiling at her.

“Mari—I mean, Ladybug, that was so cool!” Alya held onto Ladybug’s shoulders as she jumped in joy.

Ladybug chuckled nervously, rocking back and forth to Alya’s enthusiastic jumps. “I didn’t do much, so don’t celebrate yet.” Ladybug placed her hands on Alya’s shoulders to calm her down. “Just wait a while longer, Alya. I’m gonna make that guy bite the dust.”

\------------------------------------------------

He was absolutely furious.

A veteran of the tournaments, Lance knew what type of combat his opponent used just by their stance. Feet rooted to the ground meant heavy strikes and less movement. A sideways stance meant a more agile opponent. How much his opponent moved during the initial standoff was an indicator of endurance. Even the armor gave Lance hints on the kind of swings and movements his opponent could make. Lance grew up in a culture of knighthood and sword fighting, so he knew his way around the arena.

But when it came to facing his next, and last, opponent Ladybug, most of it was completely new to him.

Firstly, Ladybug’s armor had a strange build to it. It had metal plating that was, aside from the striking black color and red accents, quite standard and ordinary. But around her waist and shoulders were a strange type of armor he had not seen before. They consisted of small tiles, possibly sewn onto a larger plate that allowed a wide range of mobility. The foreign armor was intricate, looking out of place with the plain black armor, but more importantly it gave her an advantage in flexibility. Fortunately, Lance practically grew up in his armor and could keep up with Ladybug. But that wasn’t the only advantage Ladybug had.

The next thing Lance noted quickly after their match began was that Ladybug liked to move around a lot. She was quite agile for sure, but the strangest thing was how heavy her hits were. It took him a few parries to figure out how she landed such strong blows. What Ladybug did was dash in short bursts, quickly stop short of her opponent, then strike after steadying her feet. If a novice used this technique, he would have lost the fight immediately. The heavy and bulky armor that was standard in the Agreste kingdom did not favor such a precise fighting style. It would have taken Lance years to perfect it with his armor and Ladybug’s timing was impeccable. She left very little room for that window of vulnerability and Lance could only reason that it was because the tiled armor she wore was much lighter than his completely steeled armor.

Lastly, her defenses flowed with the strikes he landed. Instead of planting her feet to let her shield take the brunt of his force, she tilted it so that she could deflect his sword in a continuous motion. It was frustrating how easily she redirected his attacks.

And being too caught up in analyzing Ladybug’s fighting skills, Lance found himself backing up as he barely deflected her strikes. Soon he found himself against a wall, the crowd above him yelling in a deafening cheer.

She made a large horizontal slash at his helmet but Lance quickly rolled over to dodge it. If the armor was lighter, he thought, then that would mean it wouldn’t be able to absorb his strikes as easily. So, Lance leapt up to Ladybug and, instead of going for her torso, he went for her arms. Ladybug was unprepared for the sudden change and Lance swung at her left shoulder with all his might. Lance saw the shield she brought up high to defend the attack nicking her visor. The hit was hard and Ladybug staggered, nearly falling over. Lance raised his sword to decisively end the match.

In retrospect, Lance should have taken advantage of her disoriented state and knock her off her feet. With victory so close after such a long and frustrating battle, Lance’s judgment left him for just a moment. Unfortunately for him, that moment was long enough for his opponent to turn the odds against him and win the match.

Though Ladybug’s head whirled, she lurched forward as Lance raised his sword and knocked him over. She nearly fell on top of him, but stopped short of doing so by planting her sword right next to his head.

The crowd screamed at the unexpected victory and even Lance had to admit that he was impressed, too. It was why he was so angry.

So angry in fact, that immediately after Prince Adrien dismissed the contestants for a break, Lance stomped over to Ladybug’s tent.

“Where is she?” Lance shouted. He would have barged into the tent if it weren’t so small, but thankfully Ladybug came out he tried.

Lance stepped to Ladybug and grabbed her collar. “Who the hell do you think you are? I demand a rematch!” he snarled. Ladybug stared at him down coolly.

“I’m giving you till the count of three to let go.”

“Or what?”

“One,” Ladybug began.

Lance scoffed at her. “Two.”

He drew his fist back and swung it at her.

“Three!” Ladybug grabbed the arm at her chest and twisted. He cried out in pain but his punch still landed on her, just much more lightly than he intended. Still holding onto his arm, Ladybug spun him around once then threw him against a nearby tree. Lance smacked right into it and as he turned to Ladybug, he was met with a swift roundhouse kick to the face. Lance blacked out for a bit and when he came to, he found Ladybug in her armor again.

“Go home, Lance. You were the best opponent I fought today. Don’t disgrace yourself any further,” Ladybug said. She walked off with her attendant following close behind.

Lance was shaking in anger, but he decided it was time to go home.

\------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure you want to do this, Ladybug?” Alya asked again.

“It’s people like him and the prince that keep pushing us down, Alya. Yes, I do want to do this,” Ladybug said, massaging the shoulder Lance had hit. It was the same shoulder he attacked during the match and now Ladybug was feeling doubly sore.

Alya eyed Ladybug’s shoulder nervously, but said nothing.

Before the interruption, Ladybug and Alya discussed the request they would receive from Prince Adrien. Usually, the king would have been in attendance and extend the offer to the tournament’s winner but thankfully, Marinette thought, it was the prince who so nobly graced his presence here.

Why was Marinette thankful? Because the demand she was about to make was intended to humiliate and upstart the royal family. It was enough that she intended to offend the royal family, it would have been too much for her to handle if she did it to the face of the king. Small steps.

“But a duel? You know Prince Adrien is famous for his swordsmanship,” Alya sighed again. She didn’t doubt her friend’s skill, but she also didn’t underestimate the prince’s. “I don’t want you to get into something you can’t handle.”

Ladybug turned to Alya and lifted her visor. “I know,” she smiled, “that’s why you’re here. I have to do this, but if anything happens I’m counting on you.”

Alya gathered her friend into a hug. When she pulled away, she put Ladybug’s visor back down.

“Go get ‘em then,” Alya said. Ladybug nodded and turned to face the crowd and entered the arena, Alya hanging back at the entrance as the other contestants followed after.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to watch our honorable participants display their skills and strength for our benefit,” the prince began. He was in the center of the stands with the best view of the fights, his court sitting immediately around him. “This tournament has been an exciting one, more so than in past years, and I would like to thank our newest entry for that. It is with great honor and pleasure that I, Prince Adrien of the Agreste kingdom, dub Ladybug the Knight as the victor of the single combat tournament!”

The crowd roared for the newcomer as Prince Adrien bowed deeply to her. Ladybug, however, did not move a single inch.

“As with all tourneys, not only does the victor receive the tourney prize money, but they will also have one request of theirs granted if it is within my or my father, the king’s, power to do so,” he continued. “What is it that our victor, Ladybug, desires from the Agreste family?”

Ladybug looked up to the prince who was staring straight at her. A silence filled the arena as Ladybug mustered up the courage to defy her prince. The shield she carried on her sore arm felt too heavy. It kept reminding her of the weight of what she was about to do, in front of such a large crowd of people.

Throwing her battered shield away, Ladybug shouted, “I challenge Prince Adrien of the Agreste kingdom to a duel!” The audience gasped at her raised sword and Ladybug could see the prince’s eyes widen in shock. “If I win the match, then you, Prince Adrien, must agree to donate that money–-nay, you must personally give that money to the orphanage of St. Marie.”

Her heat pounded within its metal chamber, her shoulder throbbed. Her father told her to be strong and to be brave, to fight for what she thought was right. It was this mantra that kept her going through the tournament. Fight after fight, Marinette plowed on as Ladybug because she repeated these words to help her win every fight. The other contestants were nothing, not even the knight Sir Lance. But directly challenging royalty? Her knees almost gave out from the pressure.

The prince above her studied her for a while, not responding immediately to her challenge. But a smirk came onto his face and Ladybug almost flinched as the prince jumped from over the railings and down onto the ground in front of her.

Thank god she had her visor down, Marinette thought; her face was covered in a cold sweat. She lowered her sword slowly, doing her best to hide any nervous shaking in her extended arm.

“I accept your challenge but I have my own conditions,” he finally replied. “If I win, then you must remove your helmet and show your face to all of the spectators here. You will tell your fans here who it is they should applaud for being as bold as you have been today.”

Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, Ladybug croaked out, “I accept your conditions. Now draw your sword and fight!”

Ladybug made a swing at the prince who barely blocked her attack in time. Forcing herself to act and not think, Ladybug went for another swing but the prince rolled away in time. He discarded his sheath and came at her.

The fight was mostly a blur to Ladybug, who had fought multiple fights in that single day. The prince was agile, she recalled, possibly because he wore no armor and was keen on not being struck by her sharp sword. Alya was right, though. The prince’s fighting skills were a cut above all her opponents. Despite lacking the solid weight of armor, Prince Adrien could deflect Ladybug’s strikes easily. It certainly helped that this was his first fight, but Ladybug knew a seasoned fighter when she crossed blows with one.

Sadly, the adrenaline could not keep up with her fatigue. A horizontal slash she made strained her bruised shoulder and Ladybug flinched from the pain. Meanwhile, the prince swiftly ducked from her attack and, after he shifted his weight, he jumped up and did an uppercut.

It was a solid hit and Ladybug felt the full brunt of the strike.

The world paused for her after being hit so hard. Ladybug could hear and see her visor coming undone from its hinges. Bits of dust and dirt flew into the air as if in slow motion as she fell backwards. Taking a peek through her crooked visor showed her a prince who stared wide eyed at her. Ladybug was confused at his expression; he looked almost sorry for hitting her. The sheer absurdity of his expression snapped her back into reality, however, and Ladybug gripped her sword. Before she completely fell over, she spun and stabbed it into the ground, landing on her knees instead of on her back. The prince had jumped back, as if preparing for another attack. She saw him falter a bit from the corner of her eye as she worked on her broken visor, finally ripping the metal off its hooks.

There was a pause in the battle as Ladybug caught her breath. Her world was spinning again and she closed her eyes to make it stop. She could feel the sweat dripping from her face and plopping onto her helmet in the silence. Her free hand steadied her head as the throbbing died down a bit and Ladybug opened her eyes slowly. The pain in her bad shoulder had also dulled, thankfully.

 _It’s now or never, Marinette,_ she told herself. _End it here._

She snapped her head up at her opponent to find that he was still staring at her with a bewildered expression. In a repeat of her last match, Ladybug reacted quickly with her opponent’s guard lowered. Taking her sword out of the ground, Ladybug surged forward and rammed into the prince, knocking him clean off his feet. With a sluggish swing, Ladybug pointed her sword to the fallen prince and the crowd cheered for their champion.

Again, the prince before her gave her a puzzling expression. He had a beautiful smile to be sure, but it was so out of place from where she stood looking down at him. He had been humiliated, lost a fight to complete nobody, and yet he smiled.

However, she had no time to think upon it further as her headaches returned. Her sword falling wayside, Ladybug collapsed.

Despite the pounding in her head, she could hear people crying out and yelling. A gentle hand lifted her head and placed it on something soft. She heard a warm and familiar voice call out to her in the darkness.

Suddenly, a cold sensation touched her lips. Water began pouring down her throat and Marinette accepted it gratefully. Another set of hands, larger and rougher than the ones cradling her, worked at her helmet. When she realized that the hands were trying to take off her helmet, Marinette’s hand flew up to stop them. Without intending to, she kept a death grip on the larger hand and slowly opened her eyes. And there he was again.

The prince stared down at her with confused eyes and a creased brow. Alya was there, too, with a similarly worried expression.

“You swore,” Marinette whispered. _What a strange man_ , she wondered, _with his strange expressions and strange and beautiful green eyes._

Finally, the prince let go and Marinette’s grip loosened until it fell onto her chest.

“Alya, we need to go.”

She saw tears welling up in her friend’s eye, but she nodded all the same. Alya helped Marinette stand, Ladybug’s sword sheathed and thrown over her shoulder.

Before they went off, Marinette turned her head slightly to her opponent. She raised her hand and pointed to him.

“Keep your promise.”

His expression softened at her words and Marinette let Alya carry her to their tent. From her blurry vision, Marinette could see people flooding in. All of them ignored the two girls exiting the arena, probably to give them some space.

“Thanks for catching me,” Marinette chuckled before breaking into a coughing fit. Alya shifted their position and frowned at her friend.

“I thought you died, you idiot.”

“Till death do us part, right?” Marinette grinned and rested her head against Alya’s as they headed back to the tent after a job relatively well done. Marinette took a brief glance back to the arena where the prince let them go.

 _I guess I’ll be seeing him in the future_ , she thought quietly. But what with his strange expressions and behavior, Marinette wasn’t looking forward to meeting him again any time soon.


End file.
